Sri Lankan police remove trucks from anti-government protest site; possible crackdown averted

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan police on Saturday removed several empty trucks parked at a protest site near the presidential secretariat, possibly averting a crackdown on the protesters agitating against the government's handling of the island nation's worst economic crisis.

A large number of protesters have gathered at Galle Face near President

Gotabaya Rajapaksa

's secretariat since April 9, seeking the entire Rajapaksa family to resign from the powerful government positions they are holding in the wake of the poor handling of the ongoing economic crisis by the current regime that has brought the nation to a financial standstill.

While there have been attempts by the government to persuade the protesters to call it off, police trucks were seen moving nearer to the site early on Saturday.

However, hours later the police removed several empty trucks parked there, protesters said.

In a statement, The lawyers' body Bar Association of Sri Lanka warned the government that any attempt to disrupt protests will have grave repercussions.

“The BASL views with grave concern any attempt to disrupt in whatever manner what is a peaceful protest by the people of this country. Any such attempt will have grave repercussions for the country, its democracy, its economy and the rule of law,” the BASL statement said.

The protesters have drawn support from all sections of the society from celebrities in the music and film industry to cricketers.

Ex-national captains Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Roshan Mahanama and notable past stars,

Sidath Wettimuny

, the first Test centurion of the country, Champaka Ramanayake, Dhammika Prasad both former opening bowlers have joined the protest.

The stock market regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission (

SEC

) has directed the Colombo Stock Exchange to be temporarily closed for 5 business days from 18th April due to the present situation in the country, a release said.

The SEC said they have evaluated the impact on the market from the situation prevailing in the country.

The non-political protest so far has seen no political participation as protesters have equally blamed the 225-member parliament for letting down the country since the country gained independence in 1948.

With the economic crisis and the shortage of forex, an Indian credit line of USD 500 million for fuel imports provided a lifeline to the island nation.

India recently announced to extend a USD 1 billion line of credit to Sri Lanka as part of its financial assistance to the country to deal with the economic crisis following a previous USD 500 billion line of credit in February to help it purchase petroleum products.

President Rajapaksa has defended his government's actions, saying the foreign exchange crisis was not his making and the economic downturn was largely pandemic driven with the island nation's tourism revenue and inward remittances waning.